Gas chromatography is a popular analytical technique used to separate and analyze the composition of samples. Gas chromatography encompasses a range of different variations, such as gas-solid chromatography (GSC) and gas-liquid chromatography (GLC), and includes hyphenated methods such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). As more precision and detail is demanded from GC systems, the need for increased sensitivity in these systems grows.
As a result, problems such as tailing and carryover become more important. Tailing refers to asymmetry of a peak such that the front is steeper than the rear. Carryover refers to the problem of having sample from a previous analysis, or earlier in the same analysis, showing up later in time or otherwise saturating detectors with unwanted solvent molecules. Where greater sensitivity is required, tailing and carryover problems that can often be ignored suddenly become important.